Barefoot/Minimalist Running

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OldAssDude
OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone tried this?

I find it very interesting, and want to slowly integrate this into my training.
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Replies

  • kam26001
    kam26001 Posts: 2,799 Member
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    I trail run in minimalist shoes. Can't do it on asphalt though. I would suggest starting out very slowly, 1-2 minutes at a time, after your regular runs, on grass at first. Gradually adding an extra minute per week. Transition to the track and then asphalt.
  • Sheri8836
    Sheri8836 Posts: 20 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I hurt both of my Achilles running and working out in minimalistic shoes. It took forever for them to heal. I loved the freedom of no socks in the summer and how lightweight they are. Now, they are my river shoes ONLY. : (
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited March 2018
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    OldAssDude wrote: »
    Has anyone tried this?

    I find it very interesting, and want to slowly integrate this into my training.

    What are you hoping to gain from trying it?

    Do you mean minimal protection or zero drop shoes? Barefoot/ minimal can mean a range of different things.
  • Pixieofmidnight
    Pixieofmidnight Posts: 12 Member
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    Roadrunner sports has custom insoles. When I started running a while back I used those at first. I have been told minimalist shoes are not good for people with high arches or particularly flat feet...
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    YES!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
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    I did it for a while to fix my overstride. I was having a lot of hip and knee pain. I ran barefoot for a while, but kept stubbing my toes, so switched to minimalist — just a rubber outsole, no padding. Now that my new stride is habitual and the pain is gone, I’ve increased to a zero-lift shoe with just a little padding.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    Has anyone tried this?

    I find it very interesting, and want to slowly integrate this into my training.

    What are you hoping to gain from trying it?

    Do you mean minimal protection or zero drop shoes? Barefoot/ minimal can mean a range of different things.

    This.
    I've transitioned to minimalist footwear for almost everything I do. Most of my shoes are zero drop and minimal to no cushioning. I do have some trail shoes that are cushioned a little and up to a 3mm drop. With respect to my form, the transition was rather easy as I wasn't much of a heel striker. I did need to build up the small muscles and tendons etc of my foot and lower leg. That took time and I didn't rush things. It's been about 5-6 years since I've made the switch.
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,975 Member
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    I tried it and eased into it as instructed but ended up with injuries to both ankles -- one healed very quickly the other took months and I did Bikram yoga for most of a year to get it back into shape. I've discovered that I tend to run better in cushioned footwear (Hoka's) vs. minimalist types.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
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    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    Has anyone tried this?

    I find it very interesting, and want to slowly integrate this into my training.

    What are you hoping to gain from trying it?

    Do you mean minimal protection or zero drop shoes? Barefoot/ minimal can mean a range of different things.

    Well, I'm old (60), and was obese and at a very poor fitness level 3 years ago. I started walking every day, then started power walking. i did that for a couple years but started finding that i could not get my heart rate up enough just from power walking any more so i started adding run intervals into my power walks. Could only run for about 30 seconds to start, and over the past year can run about 5 miles at a slow pace.

    I am pretty much a heel striker, so i have many pairs of quality running shoes to try and prevent injuries. I have not injured myself yet, and my joints feel a lot stronger than they used to, but on the other hand i do feel the stress in all my joints when running with a heel strike. I do work on my form and recently had an evaluation done at a running store. They said i was fine and am suited for neutral shoes (which i kinda knew).

    I have been reading about barefoot/minimal running for a while now, and yesterday i decided to add it into my power walk. I did 1 minute running (forefoot strike) and 3 minute walk intervals over a distance of 3 miles. I wore my Alta Escalante's (0 drop, fairly minimal) for this. during the run intervals i focused on short strides, forefoot strike without feeling like i was sliding forward in the shoe, and letting the muscles in my lower legs & feet do the work or absorbing the impact rather than my joints. I did not seem to feel the stress on my joints that i normally felt, but i could really feel the muscles.

    What i am hoping to gain from this is to slowly transition into minimal 0 drop shoes and a forefoot strike form of running. Don't know if i want to go as extreme as barefoot running, but i do feel that this style of running has some serious merit.

    I plan on taking the same approach as i did when i started running. starting at minute intervals and increasing as i develop.

    I have a pair of Merrell Trail Glove 3's, and have just ordered a pair of Xero Prio's.

    As i said, i have not injured myself yet, but i can feel the stress on my joints and even though i feel my joints are getting stronger, i still wonder about the long term effects.

    I know that you know a lot about running, so any tips would be greatly appreciated.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    You don't need to run barefoot or in minimalist shoes to transition to mid or forefoot running, especially if you need some stability correction in your gait. Cushioned footwear can compensate for stride faults but it won't get in the way if you want to make changes.

    Keep in mind that you don't really need to transition away from heel striking at all if overstriding isn't an issue for you. Where you land on your foot doesn't matter, what matters is where your foot lands relative to the rest of your body and how you absorb the impact of landing with the big muscles in your legs.
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
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    I've done 0 drop for years now (both on trail and road) but they have some cushion. While my wife does minimalist I personally can't handle it. I tried it out for a few months and could never get used to the transition so I went back to my 0 drops. I made the change to correct overstriding issues and it really helped me out, it also helped with toe grip/strength which I didn't even know I needed to work on.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Only serious injury I ever had from running was when I tried to transition to a minimalist shoe. Maybe I went too fast, but it scared me off.

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Azercord wrote: »
    I've done 0 drop for years now (both on trail and road) but they have some cushion. While my wife does minimalist I personally can't handle it. I tried it out for a few months and could never get used to the transition so I went back to my 0 drops. I made the change to correct overstriding issues and it really helped me out, it also helped with toe grip/strength which I didn't even know I needed to work on.

    I was going to make a similar point.


    Zero/low drop shoes are pretty common, and you don't need to go full-on minimal to get them. Zero drop + a little cushion could be a good happy medium for you, at least while you transition.
  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
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    The author of "Born to Run" is a big pusher of barefoot running, but almost everything he did was trail running (and that seems supported by the comments here).

    I would consider it for trail or cross-country, not for pavement, although I always see a handful of people in my races running barefoot on pavement, even in a half marathon.
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,660 Member
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    My "fitted in the running store" shoes were highly-cushioned and had about 10mm drop. I hated them. I bought some Merrell Bare Access Arc 3's (sadly discontinued) and declared that they were Magic Shoes. I am still overweight, I probably heel-strike, and I wear those minimally padded, zero-drop shoes even for marathons. On pavement. Last year, I decided it would be nice to try some cushioned shoes, and the running store fitted me in some Brooks Glycerins (12's, I think) that are ok for short runs, but after about 6 miles they shred my ankles where I rub when the cushioning does it's job. I gave up. I wear those for walking. I don't know what I'll do when my Merrell's wear out - thankfully, since they don't really do cushioning, will be when the rubber is all worn off the soles.

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